Means for preliminarily heating internal combustion engines



May 19, 1931. A. c. BELL ET AL MEANS FOR PRELIMINARILY HEATING INTERNALCOMBUSTION ENGINES Filed April 26, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l M a m 4INVENTORS a 5:22

ATTORNEY Patented May 19, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALONZO C.BELL AND THADDEUS B. BELL, OF WESTFELD, NEW JERSEY I MEANS FORPRELIMINARILY HEATING INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Application filedApril 26,

The invention relates to the warming of internal combustion engines,more especially preliminarily to their starting so as to facilitate thisoperation-by not only rendering less '5 viscous the lubricating oilcontained in the cranckcase andlubricating chamber of the engine, butalso securing the heating of the engine parts themselves. It will beappreciated that, due to low atmospheric temperature conditions, thelubricant of an internal combustion enginefrequently thickens to such anextent that when it is desired to start the engine this becomes adifficult matter and places an undue drag upon the battery, the

charge of which thereby becomes seriously depleted.

The invention has for its object to aiiord simple and effective meanswhereby this vis- .cous condition of the lubricant is quickly overcomeso that the oil may properly be distributed and faulty lubricationobviatedtas well as ready starting of the engine attained; also, toprovide a device of this character which may be readily applied orattached to existingengines and will involve no structural change in theengine other than, in certain embodiments, an opening in the crankcase.

, We are aware that various expedients have been resorted to in anattempt to secure this result. For example, it has been proposed tototally immerse in oil of the crankcase of the engine or in thelubricant chamber thereof, an electric heating element to which power issupplied either externally or from the battery associated with saidengine. It has been proposed, also, to circulate exhaust gases from theengine through the crankcase, but, aside from the objection of havingfree exhaust .gas in the crankcase, this arrangement will be of noavail, of course, in the starting of a cold engine.

To overcome these objectionable features, the present inventioncontemplates the provision, at the crankcase of an internal combustionen ine such as is utilized in propelling vehicles, airplanes and thelike, of an electric heating unit having means adapted to afiord acirculation of heated air therein, whereby not only are the cylinders ofthe said engine and other parts thereof readily heated, but

1929. Serial No. 358,207.

the oil of said crankcase is quickly brought to a. suitable fluidcondition so that all stiffness in starting of the engine is overcome.The arrangement admits, furthermore, of obtaining a rapid heating byproviding for the regeneration or reheating of the air as inrecirculating the same through the heating unit by means of saidcirculation producing means.

The nature of the invention, however, will best be understood whendescribed in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a motor vehicle engine of the internalcombustion type with the novel heating arrangement shown installedthereon, portions of the crankcasing being broken away to disclose theinterior and portions of the engine cylinders.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the novel heating attachment.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section taken on the line 33, Fig. 1,looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail longitudinal section through the heatingunit and fan, with motor in elevation; and Fig. 5 is a transversesection thereof taken on the line 55, Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates an internal'combustion enginehaving the base or crankcase 11 with usual breather pipe 12 projectingtherefrom, and lubricant chamber 1 3., In accordance with'the invention,pro vision is made for supplying heated air into the said crankcase 11over the oil reservoir 13 and beneath the cylinders 14. of said engine 7so that at lower temperatures the enginemay more readily be started byrenderingdess viscous the lubricating oil contained in the chamber 13and applied at the various engine parts.

This may conveniently be effected by intro: ducing the heated air intothe breather'pipe 12; and to this end, there may be arranged, forexample, as in being secured to the crankcase,'a novel heatingarrangement forte'mporarily heating and directing air into saidcrankcase preliminarily to starting of the engine.

Thus, a centrifugal blower 16, driven by an electric motor 17 may beassof ciated with or attached to the crankcase and the air delivered bysaid. blower directed through a pipe 18 in which is mounted a heatingcoil 19. The motor and the coil are adapted for temporary connection foroperation to a suitable source of electricity, preferably external ofsaid engine, as by means of leads 20 and 21 having the usual plug andsocket connections. The outer end of the ipe 18, moreover, is providedwith a swivelled outlet 22 which may be swung over the breather pipe sothat the airy heated in passing over the coil 19 is directed into saidcrankcase and affords the necessary temperature'for rendering the oiltherein less viscous, the air also rising upwardly into the cylindersfor loosening the engine parts.

It is preferred, inorder to more quickly bring the engine to a properworking temperature, to re-circulate the heated air-and reheat the same,for example, by having the inlet duct 23 of the fan connected to adifler- I out part of the crankcase as at the end opposite the breatherpipe, for example at the point 24, so that the air delivered through thebreather pipe will be drawn through the crankcase and duct 23 forreheating by coil 19 and thus ra idly build up to a substantialtemperature. 11 order to avoid any danger of exploding a possiblecombustible mixture from the crankcase, the heating coil 19, whichincludes a resistance wire wound over a porcelain core 25, is encased ina sealed tube 26 provided with radiating fins 27 over which the air isdirected by the fan.

By the foregoing arrangement, it will be appreciated that air mayrapidly be brought to the desired temperature and applied to the enginefor rendering the lubricating oil thereof sufliciently liquid to permitready starting of said engine, whereupon the leads 20 and 21 aredisconnected. It will be appreciated thus that merely by plugging in,for example, from an external source of electricity, the engine canquickly be brought to proper condition for starting and withoutrequiring any material structural changes in the engine.

We claim:

1. In an internal combustion engine having a crankcase associatedtherewith, and breather pipe opening thereinto: heating means for theengine adapted to be installed at the crankcase and comprising anelectric heating unit, an electrically driven fan associated therewithto direct air over the heat ing unit into the outer end of the breatherpipe, and means for connecting the heating unit and fan to a' source ofelectricity.

2. In an internal combustion engine having' a crankcase associatedtherewith, and breather pipe opening thereinto: heating means for theengine adapted to be installed at the crankcase and comprising anelectric heating unit, a tube mounted thereover having a swivelled endadapted to fit over the outer end of the breather pipe, an electricallydriven fan associated with the heating unit to direct air thereover andthrough said tube, and means for connecting the heating unit and fan toa source of electricity.

"'3. In an internal combustion engine having a crankcase associatedtherewith, and breather pipe opening thereinto: heating means for theengine adapted to be installed at the crankcase and comprising anelectric heating unit, a tube mounted thereover having a swivelled endadapted to fit over the outer end of the breather pipe, an electricallydriven fan associated with the heating imit t direct air thereover andthrough said tube, the intake to said fan being connected to thecrankcase for returning air to the fan for reheating of the same, andmeans for connecting-the heating unit and fan to a source ofelectricity.

4. In an internal combustion engine provided with a crank case having anopening therein, a. conduit secured to and communicating with saidopening, means for forcing a circulation of hot air through said conduitand opening into said crank case above the level of the oil therein toinitially force cold air from the crank case and to heat the interiorthereof and the operating mechanism therein.

5. In an internal combustion engine provided with a crank case having anopening therein, a conduit secured to and communicating with saidopening I an electrical heating unit within said con' 'uit", anelectricallydriven fan for forcing air over said heating unit andthrough said conduit which opens 'into said crank case above the levelof the oil therein to initially force cold air from the crank case andto heat the interior thereof and the operating mechanism therein.

6. In an internal combustion engine provided with a crank case having anopening therein, a conduit secured to andoommunicating with saidopening, an electrical heating unit within said conduit, anelectricallydriven fanv for forcing air over said heating unit andthrough said conduit which opens into said crank case above the level ofthe oil therein to initially force cold air from the crank case and toheat the interior thereof and the operating mechanism therein, theintake to said fan being connected to the crank case for returning airto the fan for reheating of the same.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures.

ALONZO C. BELL. THADDEUS R. BELL.

